The Age of Snarky UI

4/16/2026 at 3:22:27 PM

Somewhere in the mid 2010s software developers stopped respecting its users.

Instead of giving terse, succinct messages it was assumed the user was lazy with an iq below 80 and and needed to have friendly, patronizing responses

by mx7zysuj4xew

4/16/2026 at 4:47:57 PM

I think this is less about “respect” and more about the general change in business attitudes that happened over the 90s and the ability for software to be more verbose.

On the attitude side, software development, developers and management shifted heavily from stodgy “IBM suits” to “renegade / hacker” teams. That shift showed in more than just dress codes, it showed in how software talked in general and in how companies talked to their customers. And more screen real estate, more dynamic software and more dynamic interfaces meant communication could be more verbose. “PC LOAD LETTER” is plenty succinct, and most people hated it.

by tpmoney

4/17/2026 at 8:25:36 PM

Surely the poster child of the 90s for 'not IBM' was Google. And that worked because it removed things.

So yes, I agree somewhat, but I think it's more a corruption of that original ethos by said suits. But I suppose that's true of everything on the internet.

by benj111

4/18/2026 at 8:35:06 PM

> And more screen real estate, more dynamic software and more dynamic interfaces meant communication could be more verbose.

Could have been, but the opposite happened. Instead of changelogs, one has "bug fixes and performance improvements". Instead of KB686848 and KB7849867 one has "cummulative update"

by hulitu

4/16/2026 at 1:18:09 PM

Windows 11 decides to update and says, "You're x% there."

Later, the computer jumps from 30% to nothing. "You might want to plug in your PC."

Then the next morning Copilot appears.

Too many cooks in the kitchen it seems.

by windows2020

4/16/2026 at 3:06:44 PM

These small annoyances just keep adding up. The result, a less happy population which most likely correlates with a lower life expectancy. It's also just less and less human agency. My cars software is going to monitor and manage my behavior? Seems maddening.

by techteach00

4/16/2026 at 1:10:22 PM

I understand the smart watch complained, and the "guess your not using notifications"

But i think the car thing is valid. People driving tired is way more common. iirc, around 20% of car accident happen due to drowsy driving.

So actively suggesting to stop driving is imo the correct thing to do.

by td12

4/16/2026 at 1:51:22 PM

I think the author agrees, just that it's a phrasing problem

by vegadw

4/16/2026 at 3:42:14 PM

I wish we lived in a world where

  driver attention system: irregular behavior - unexpected lane drift (possible driver fatigue or distraction)`

Rather than

  Consider taking a break

was the norm

by mx7zysuj4xew

4/16/2026 at 4:49:01 PM

Except that former message takes too long to read, especially if you’re actually driving at the time.

by tpmoney

4/17/2026 at 8:28:20 PM

I had the unhappy experience of driving a car with collision warnings. I got 3 in one day. It would be nice after the fact to know what it thought was happening.

by benj111

4/16/2026 at 4:24:58 PM

Author here! Yup exactly! I don't mind that it's telling me things (well, I do, but that's another post), I just want it to tell me _why_ instead of giving me a weak suggestion with no context so I can make a judgement on how to proceed. Feels like a passive aggressive mom telling you "Maybe try on another outfit" when what she really means is "I think your shirt is horrific and I can't be seen with you in it."

by elainanatario

4/17/2026 at 7:04:04 PM

Hello! I really, really liked your article a lot and I'm happy I get to tell it to you! The drawings are just cherry on top.

I absolutely hate these types of UIs. I can't stress enough how much revulsion I feel towards this kind of bullshit.

And we are not even talking yet about the "screen vs buttons in a car" problem.

by chalmovsky

4/20/2026 at 1:38:10 PM

what i really hate is the "remind me later" buttons. I want to say a plain "no" but the app won't let me. It promises not to respect my decision right there in the popup itself!

by vrighter